Kill the Jester

History

Find the Jester was first created during the Golden Conquest by soldiers in between battles who just took some cards and started messing about with. It soon developed into a popular card game among both the Golden Legion and the civilians of the Golden City and the Silver Kingdom. Even then, it is still mostly used among the military.

Execution

The game is played among at least three people. It starts with the deck being shuffled with the jokers in it. If there are more players, one can add more decks. Then, the group sits around the deck and take turns drawing cards. Someone can either take one or three cards at a time. Players keep drawing cards from the deck until someone draws a joker. When someone draws a joker, the round ends and everyone counts up their card values (Face cards=10 and Ace=1). Before the next round of play, the player who drew the joker is designated a Jester and is eliminated from play, or "killed," and then shuffles the deck. Play continues until one player is left, who gets an extra ten points. Then, players add up their points from all of the rounds, and the player with the most points wins, being called the King for that game. The King will usually then shuffle the deck if another game is played.

Alternate "Pacifist" Rules

Another rule set for the game is known as Pacifist Rules, as the Jester is not "killed." Instead, play continues with every person playing until the end. The game goes on for a number of rounds agreed upon by the group, although traditionally it goes on for a number of rounds equal to the number of players minus one, similar to Normal Rules.

Components and tools

All someone needs to play is a standard deck of cards with the jokers shuffled in.

Participants

The Jester is the player who drew the joker card that ended the round, and is "killed" or eliminated.
The King is the player who won the game, usually the last surviving player. The Queen is second place, but only during Pacifist Rules, and the Jack is third place in Pacifist Rules.
A Ghost King is when a player who was eliminated wins in Normal Rules, and is fairly uncommon.

Observance

Kill the Jester is most often played among Legionnaires when they have downtime. Civilians will usually play it when in the company of a Legionnaire or a former Legionnaire, but it is sometimes used as a drinking game, where someone takes a shot whenever they draw the Jester.

Primary Related Location

The Central Plains

Related Ethnicities

• Centrum